Day archives: December 16th, 2021

Fed Figures: The Federal Workforce and the Trump Administration

Partnership for Public Service: “This analysis sheds light on our nation’s federal civilian workforce during the Trump administration. What changes occurred throughout the administration’s four years? Did past trends continue or change under President Donald Trump? The Partnership for Public Service analyzed federal workforce data to answer these and other questions. Because of its sheer size, it is rare to see substantial shifts government-wide in the size of the workforce or its …

Subjects: Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

How to Know When Your iPhone Could Be Recording You

Lifehacker: “You’ve probably had the (legitimate) fear that your smartphone is listening or watching you. Your iPhone certainly isn’t without privacy risks, and you should absolutely audit your settings and all of your app permissions, but one helpful feature that Apple has built in is a visual warning when your device is queued up to …

Subjects: Privacy

Scientists Are Racing to Gauge the Threat of Omicron

The New York Times – “Even as scientists race to understand more about the Omicron variant and the threat it poses, one fact is abundantly clear: It spreads quickly everywhere it lands. In South Africa, Omicron spread twice as fast as the highly infectious Delta variant. In Britain, officials have estimated that 200,000 people are …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Health Care

You may soon be able to renew your passport online, instead of sending in documents

NPR: “Renewing your passport isn’t an experience most people would consider streamlined — especially during the pandemic. Getting it processed can take anywhere from eight to 11 weeks, according to the State Department. But a new executive order from President Biden hopes to cut down on the amount of time people spend accessing all kinds …

Subjects: E-Government, Transportation

Is a mask mandate in the US the same as a law?

Quartz: “California’s latest mask mandate went into effect this week, requiring face coverings in all public indoor settings through Jan. 15, 2022. In counties where local health authorities had already issued mask mandates, the new statewide rule won’t change daily life. And in San Francisco, where vaccination rates are high and community transmission remains relatively …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

FDA Allows Women to Get Abortion Pill by Mail

USAToday: “The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it would permanently remove a key restriction on medication used to terminate pregnancies, allowing so-called “abortion pills” to be available by mail and prescribed through telehealth medical consultations. The FDA had temporarily allowed the medication to be available in such methods after a federal judge ordered it due to the …

Subjects: Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

21 photos that defined 2021 on Capitol Hill

As captured by CQ Roll Call’s photojournalists on the ground – “As the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2021, the world celebrated that 2020 was over and that things would finally get back to normal. 2021 proved much more challenging than most expected. From the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to the rise …

Subjects: Congress, Knowledge Management

AAP Sues to Block Maryland, New York Library E-book Laws

Publishers Weekly – “The Association of American Publishers filed suit December 9 to stop a new library e-book law in Maryland from taking effect on January 1, claiming that the law, which would require publishers who offer to license e-books to consumers in the state to also offer to license the works to libraries on …

Subjects: Intellectual Property, Legal Research, Libraries

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